I'd say it was an accident... Mike McCarthy wanted Alex Smith over Rodgers at SF, and that's who the Niners went with. I've always wondered about the MM/12 dynamic. Rodgers knows his HC wanted the other guy over him and the Niners were Aaron;s team growing up. Mike McCarthy ruined Rodgers dream of playing for his favorite team and cost him a lot of money in the process. Now, Mike McCarthy didn't make the selection but he was certainly part of it in giving his input that he preferred Smith over Rodgers.

The take away isn't that Mike McCarthy was or wasn't hired to develop Rodgers...it's that we haven't ever even been to a SB game without a superstar QB. We're talking legends of the game here. Starr, Favre and now Rodgers...minus one of those types at QB we're Cleveland. Do you want to waste the window before we go back to being Cleveland on status quo and it's just okay being in the playoffs with a "chance" slim as it is every year? Go for it like the Broncos. I can't respect not going for it. No urgency the last few years and there doesn't appear to be any again. The year we did win it all, that pre-season there was a buzz a mindset that is not present now. Where is it? You need a shakeup if you can't find it and we haven't found it. So, why are we standing pat?

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I see urgency. Quite a lot of it in fact. Over the past 2 years, these guys have taken many steps to improve the run game and the defense. It worked with the run game, and this year we will see if it worked with the defense. I see a team coming into its own right now.

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I see a team that is routinely decimated by injuries, which cost us the playoffs every year. Hopefully Capers won't shit himself, but more importantly, this team will remain healthy.

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This is also true. A healthy lacy/starks and matthews/shields make this team much better.

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You see it? Where? The year we did win it we had guys talking about SB...




And...YOTTO wasn't the only one yapping...there was this feeling this commitment that we were going to go get it. I felt it. Don't know about you. I don't feel it this year. I feel this is a transition year. I don't feel like the team feels like it really is going to win it this year. We had some older guys who careers were running out that really wanted one. We got one for them. Who we winning one for this year? Peppers is the only guy I can see who hasn't had one who is near the end. Is Julius the kind of guy who strikes you as it burns in him to be a world champion? It did in Woodson and Driver...

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There are many different kinds of leaders.

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Here's a fun and informative link for those who think that plucking UDFA's is equal to hitting on 1st rounders... You'll notice just how many guys are in the HOF who weren't taken in Round 1. The majority of your star players,whether HOF worthy, or not, are coming from up high in the draft. It does matter...a lot.

http://www.profootballhof.com/history/general/draft/round.aspx 

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Most of the first round picks were picked high. We've been picking past 20. It's easier to hit on a way earlier. Cool link though. Pretty informative. I just hate stats and numbers. I like watching the game and little else.

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I like it all... it all goes in one big circle for me. [grin1]

It's just not right to say it's "pretty much evens out" that when we miss up high but get some decent UDFA's that everything is fine. This team is eroding due to failed 1st rounders. Perry, Jones, Sherrod... just 3 more guys who look as though they'll add nothing to our franchise. It's a punch to the gut to watch year after year...and like has already been said, when you don't use FA to make up for what you haven't done in the 1st it just compounds your misses.

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You're taking this "evens out" thing and running with it. And evading my response in the other thread, which is a bummer because it was for you baby.

And which is it -- TT's failure to get offensive guys or defensive guys? It's hard to tell when it's all defensive woes in one thread, then both sides of the ball in another.

In the last 10 drafts (the 11th would include Aaron Rodgers, for what that's worth) the Pack have added the following first-rounders:

A.J. Hawk - Never lived up to No. 5 overall status, but remains a mainstay on the defense.

Justin Harrell - A classic bust, no doubt.

B.J. Raji - A strong contributor in his first few seasons and an important piece in the run to XLV. Has struggled of late and is in a key season to prove his worth.

Clay Matthews - The Claymaker only needs to stay on the field more. At times dominant. There are 31 other teams who'd gladly have his services.

Bryan Bulaga - A starting right tackle on an emerging offensive line. Better fit on the right side, and that's just fine.

Derek Sherrod - It's hard to make a judgment on the pick because of a catastrophic leg injury that set him back two seasons. It's not terribly difficult to make a judgment on the player, who appears to be a career backup unless things dramatically improve.

Nick Perry - Loses battle to injury bug every year. Flashes at times, but hasn't exactly mastered transition from DE to OLB. Not a bust yet, but potentially heading in that direction.

Datone Jones - Has the body type and measurables that would seem to translate to next level. Disappeared at times last season. Will need to make strides in second season to make impact.

Ha-Ha Clinton Dix - By all accounts a guy who plays smart and does most things well without excelling in any category. A rookie. So, ya, needs to play first.

So since we took A-Rod over a decade ago, there's been one guy who we can purely call a first-round bust: Justin Harrell. You could argue Sherrod is knocking on the doorstep and that Perry, barring improvement, is heading in that direction.

You've also got a pair of stalwart starters in A.J. Hawk and Bryan Bulaga. Raji has made his mark but needs to regain his old form. Matthews is a star player, no doubt. Datone and Ha-Ha need more time.

Can you knock it off already with the first-round doom and gloom?

*edit: And I almost forgot about Jordy! We, of course, moved back into the second round to get him -- but he was our No. 1 pick that year. Eat it.

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